The Souls games are mostly known for not holding your hand and challenging boss fights. And when you mix these two concepts together, you might find yourself somewhat in a pickle. While there are bosses whose patterns and move sets can be easily be memorized after a few tries (some of them even during the first fight), there are a couple that are so difficult that no matter how hard you try or how many hours you dedicate to that particular boss, you can’t seem to catch a break. Here I’ll show you, not one, but three ways to defeat one of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls 3, the Nameless King.
If you’re reading this, then you probably know all too well that the boss has two phases. The first one is the easiest by far. The Nameless King will be riding on top of his dragon (Whether or not that thing is a dragon is debatable, lore-wise, but anyway) cutely nicknamed ‘The King of The Storm.’ There are a couple of ways to go through this, you can pick and choose what works for your play style and adapt. You can even use most of these tips at once to increase your chances of victory.
Use a Crossbow
Yeah, I’m for real. Let me explain. Both phases of the battle can be cheesed using a crossbow if you maintain your distance. Make sure to have upgraded it, so the damage doesn’t feel like you’re shooting him wet tissues. Also, ignore the fact that the King himself is using a lighting spear, and the dragon is supposed to be King of the Storm because this little bird is weak to lightning damage.
I highly recommend the Knight’s Crossbow. The item description explains perfectly why: “Crossbow used by the proud knights of Lothric. It bears an elaborate gold design. The crossbow has been blessed with the power of lightning, in anticipation of the use of Lightning Bolts.”
However, this will only work for the first phase. After you kill the Nameless King’s favorite pet, I’d recommend you to change to a different crossbow. The Arbalest can have the job done. You can find it in the Cathedral of the Deep in one of the balconies on your way to Rosaria.
Fight Him Head On
If crossbows aren’t your thing, or you want to defeat the King honorably without any cheese, then there’s no way around this. One of the key takeaways in the first phase is not to lock on. Ever. Keep an eye on him and run like hell once the dragon takes flight.
Most of the time, Dark Souls developers use the lock-on feature as a way to tell the player where they should be focusing their attention, even if they discourage the feature on that specific fight or situation. This is no different. You’ll be able to lock on the head of the dragon, which is where all of your attention should be going but try to focus on his movements with a free camera to avoid frustrating defeats.
If you manage to pull off a good combo, sometimes you’ll be able to stagger the dragon’s head and deliver a devastating attack.
Then comes the second phase. After the Nameless King goes Super Saiyan, his attacks will become way more aggressive. Keep in mind that he’ll be weak to fire during this stage. However, don’t rely on that solely to kill him since the difference in damage is not that great, but with a boss as hard as this one, every little tip helps.
Now is the chance to use Yellow Bug Pellet if he ever gives you a chance. The Thunder Stoneplate Ring also helps, and if you’re planning on tanking his attacks with a shield, I highly recommend the Lothric Knight Shield or the Spirit Tree Crest Shield.
This fight requires a lot of stamina, so unless you’ve spent your souls on becoming a living tank, the best thing to do is to dodge most of his attacks and focus on your stamina management.
Call for help
Let’s be honest, a lot of people will try to beat the Nameless King by themselves, either because they want to claim their victory to themselves or because they’d rather play offline. In those cases, this doesn’t apply to you, but after implementing several tips from this guide, you should have the necessary tools to defeat the King once and for all.
With that said, if you’re happy to call for some jolly cooperation, then proceed to do so. This boss will test your patience and abilities with no mercy, so any help should be welcomed. The idea would be to have someone else who can distract him while you deal damage or vice versa during the King of the Storm, and then both of you head on together to the Nameless King.
The King is relentless, so don’t be surprised if the phantom you summoned dies mid-battle or if you can’t find somebody to play with outside the fog gate. While the game has been out for a couple of years and most Souls fans know about the Archdragon Peak, it’s still supposed to be a hidden area, so don’t expect to find lots of magical summoning graffiti all over the floor.
For related content:
Elden Ring: Things We Want To See
Elden Ring’s Open World Will Be Similar To Shadow of the Colossus
